Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], January 22 (ANI): Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister PK Sekar Babu on Monday said there were no restrictions on public watching the live telecast of the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony at the Ayodhya Ram Temple.
“HR and CE ministry didn’t ban anything. There are no restrictions on providing Annadhanam (offering food to those in need) or placing LED screens (for watching the telecast of the ‘Pran Pratishtha’) inside or outside the temple,” Sekar Babu told reporters.
The minister’s response came in the wake of BJP leaders, including Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, allegations that LED screens put up to watch the live telecast were removed by the state police from several temple premises.
They said that even the LED screens put up at Kamakshi Amman Temple in Kancheepuram district, where Sitharaman was scheduled to watch the Pran Pratishtha, were “plucked” by the police.
However, Sekar Babu said that the state government acted as per the law. “As per the law, one should get permission. If there is proper permission, we will allow that. But if one mixes spiritualism with politics or uses spiritualism as a political tool, then the government will take action in compliance with the law,” the minister said.
Earlier, the BJP approached the Supreme Court and the Madras High Court against the alleged oral order of the state government banning live telecast of the “Pran Prathishta” of Ram Lalla in temples across the state.
The Supreme Court on Monday questioned the Tamil Nadu government on its alleged oral order to ban live telecasts of the ‘Pran Prathishta’ of Ram Lalla at Ayodhya in temples across Tamil Nadu. The apex court said that the state government can’t ban such events on the grounds that Hindus are a “minority” in certain areas.
“This is a homogenous society… Do not prevent only on the ground that the A or B community is there,” a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta told counsel appearing for the Tamil Nadu government.
The bench pulled up the Tamil Nadu government for allegedly ordering such a general order and said permission cannot be denied on the sole ground that other communities are living in the location.
The apex court called these orders “atrocious” and directed the state not to summarily deny such permissions.
However, Tamil Nadu told the Supreme Court that there are no such restrictions and there is no ban on the live telecast, performance of poojas, archanas, annadhanasm, bhajans on the occasion of “Pran Prathishta” of Lord Ram at Ayodhya today and the plea is just politically motivated. (ANI)
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